Emerald

This fantastical green gem has been doted on for 4,000 years. The word “emerald” comes from the Greek word smaragdos, meaning “green stone.” While diamonds have many, many fans, emeralds have their enthusiasts, as well. I am a huge fan of emeralds and had one hand-made by a South African goldsmith to pair with the diamonds in the setting for my engagement ring. 

As mentioned previously, emerald is also known as green beryl. It is the most valuable of all the beryls—a precious gem, indeed. Beryl is usually colorless but becomes green when traces of chromium appear in its makeup. This occurs rarely, which is why emeralds are so costly.

Gems are, of course, judged for their brilliance, clarity, weight, and proportion. Emeralds have to be cut in a certain way—the very popular octagonal shape that has come to be called the emerald cut—because they are considered to be sensitive stones. The less transparent or very included stones are often mounted as dome-shaped cabochons.

Lucky May-born folks have emerald, the gem of joy and positivity, as their special stone. The gem is a symbol of true love, fidelity, fertility, and birth. Emeralds create harmony, the lubricant of life, and also help memory. They help people express themselves well, and they add to that power by promoting the telling of only the truth. Emeralds are wisdom stones that give the wearers the inspiration and intuition to share their wisdom with others and to shower love on the people in their lives. Health issues that are reputedly alleviated by emerald include diabetes, problems in the spine, back, and skeleton, and mental and emotional distress. The stone is heralded to be a balm for irritated eyes.

Emerald is also a heart stone, offering benefits on physical and emotional planes. I prefer emeralds above all other stones for engagement rings. This is your ultimate gem for happiness in a relationship. In fact, emerald has been called the stone of successful love and can engender utter felicity, total loyalty, and domestic bliss in a willing couple. The emerald is at its most powerful if worn as a pinkie—or ring—finger ornament or in a bracelet on the right wrist. But wearers, be warned! Do not wear emerald at all times or its super-positive force starts to reverse. A little emerald luck goes a long way.